Silver Halide Darkroom Tools & Reference
3D Studio
All equipment

The complete tool reference

Twenty-eight pieces of equipment across five stages of the process, from the emulsion in the camera to the box the negatives end up in. Filter by category, stage or keyword.

1Shooting2Developing3Stop & Fix4Enlarging5Printing & Finishing
Wear PPE & Ventilate Nitrile gloves Eye protection Cross-flow air Label every bottle Dispose of fixer properly
Camera & Film Shoot

35mm Film

The format that defined documentary photography — 36 frames on a 24 × 36 mm strip.

Shooting stage
Camera & Film Shoot

120 Medium Format Film

A wider negative on a spool, with backing paper instead of a cassette.

Shooting stage
Camera & Film Shoot

Large Format Sheet Film

One sheet, one image — the slowest and most deliberate way to expose film.

Shooting stage
Camera & Film Shoot

Film Cassette

A light-tight metal can with a felt light trap and a spool you can rewind.

Shooting stage
Camera & Film Develop

Developing Tank

A light-tight vessel that lets you develop film in full daylight.

Developing stage
Camera & Film Develop

Changing Bag

A portable darkroom that folds into a pocket — total darkness anywhere.

Developing stage
Developing Chemistry Develop

Film Developer

The reducing agent that turns exposed silver halide into visible metallic silver.

Developing stage
Developing Chemistry Stop & Fix

Stop Bath

A dilute acid that halts development in seconds and protects the fixer.

Stop & Fix stage
Developing Chemistry Stop & Fix

Fixer

Dissolves the unexposed halide so the image stops changing and can be seen in light.

Stop & Fix stage
Developing Chemistry Stop & Fix

Wetting Agent

One drop in the final rinse and the water stops forming droplets on the film.

Stop & Fix stage
Developing Chemistry Develop

Developer Working Solution

The diluted, ready-to-use developer — mixed once, used once, poured away.

Developing stage
Developing Chemistry Stop & Fix

Hypo Clear

A washing aid that swaps the fixer out of the emulsion so the wash can finish the job.

Stop & Fix stage
Darkroom Equipment Develop

Safelight

The dim coloured light that lets you see your hands without fogging the paper.

Developing stage
Darkroom Equipment Develop

Developing Tray

A shallow ribbed tray that holds one bath and one sheet of paper at a time.

Developing stage
Darkroom Equipment Develop

Thermometer

Development time is meaningless without temperature — this is the instrument that makes it mean something.

Developing stage
Darkroom Equipment Develop

Darkroom Timer

An enlarging timer with a foot switch — because your hands are always wet.

Developing stage
Darkroom Equipment Stop & Fix

Film Clips

Weighted stainless clips that hold a wet strip straight while it dries.

Stop & Fix stage
Darkroom Equipment Develop

Measuring Graduates

Accurate volumes are the difference between a repeatable process and a guess.

Developing stage
Enlarging & Printing Enlarge

Enlarger

A vertical projector that turns a small negative into a large print.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Enlarge

Enlarging Lens

A flat-field lens optimised for close working distances and even illumination.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Finish

Photographic Paper

Resin-coated or fibre — the two papers behave completely differently in the tray.

Printing & Finishing stage
Enlarging & Printing Enlarge

Focus Finder

A magnifying scope that lets you focus on the grain instead of guessing.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Finish

Easel

Adjustable masking blades that hold the paper flat and set the print borders.

Printing & Finishing stage
Finishing & Archiving Finish

Print Washer

A tank that keeps fresh water moving past every print until the fixer is gone.

Printing & Finishing stage
Finishing & Archiving Finish

Print Dryer

Fibre prints curl as they dry — a dryer flattens them without cooking the emulsion.

Printing & Finishing stage
Finishing & Archiving Finish

Archival Sleeve

Inert plastic that holds a negative without touching the emulsion.

Printing & Finishing stage
Finishing & Archiving Finish

Acid-Free Box

Lignin-free board that will not slowly acidify the negatives inside it.

Printing & Finishing stage
Finishing & Archiving Finish

Anti-Static Brush

Carbon-fibre bristles that neutralise static and lift dust off a negative.

Printing & Finishing stage

Prefer to learn by doing?

The 3D Studio walks through loading film, running a tank, focusing an enlarger and placing tones on the zone scale — interactively, in your browser.

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